Since returning to train at the
UCI World Cycling Centre in April, Bernette Beyers has
competed in three UCI C1 events in France, Portugal and
Germany. Breaking the South African records in the flying 200
and
500m time trial while making three keirin finals. Her biggest
achievement to date came at the Grand Prix von Deutschland,
where she finished second behind world champion Kristina Vogel
in the keirin.

So my second race was in Portugal, I didn't know what to
expect from this weekend. Arriving there on Thursday I got on
rollers and Friday I had a chance too get on the track and do
a few activation sprints to get the blood pumping and also to
get the feeling for the track. Legs felt good but not my
favourite track, I can enter the velodrome and just looking at
the track I can say if I like it or not.

Upon standing up the morning I could feel my legs are a bit
wobbly, could be the nerves. We started Saturday with the 200m
qualifier, putting me in fourth position. You could say I had
some mixed emotions. When I came off the track you can
probably see it in my face if I'm happy or not, I try not to
show it but I can't hide it haha.

Match sprinting started straight away, and I confidently won
the first round but then the real racing started. Looking at
the other heats I could tell this is all about technique and
not just speed. This threw me out and made me an easy target.
I know I have a lot of work to do when is comes tactics and
was KO'd on my second heat.

In my next race I had to go against three French rides for
5th-8th position.

I was completely off guard as they all worked as a team, from
the start going down on the banking, two girls jumped and the
one held me back until I could get a gap to get past and play
cat and mouse. I was a very angry cat and had a big gap to
catch up. I ended up doing a 500m sprint to catch the second
girl. Overall I placed sixth. Not happy about my placing as I
felt my legs were not there that day.

After the long day on the saddle we had the 500m TT. Mentally
my head was not in the right place after the days racing,
being negative and physically tired, but in the back of my
head I truly wanted to get under 36 seconds. Unfortunately
that didn't happen, came close but will next time. Ended
breaking the South African 500m TT record in the meantime so
there is a little positive outcome for the day. Overall I came
fifth.

Next was the keirin on the Sunday. You could say it's my
favourite event and my legs as always, feel better on my
second day of racing. I made top two in my heat and went
straight through to the finals. Because the racing here in
Portugal is more about tactics then speed it threw me out on
the last lap and ended fourth. I need to work on my skills
definitely, but can't learn everything at once and tactics
comes with experience in my opinion. Overall I won't say I'm
super happy with how the weekend went but I took it as a
learning experience to my next race in Cottbus with some top
of class girls.

GP von Deutschland

Cottbus velodrome. Photo: Supplied

Cottbus weekend, we arrived after very long hours of driving
from Switzerland. Got to the track day before racing and on
the rollers immediately, same protocol. Cottbus being an
outdoor track changes things for me a bit, taking the wind in
to consideration and weather changes.

I will say it is one of my favourite tracks but defiantly
something to get used to. I would have loved having a few more
days on the track to really get into it and test out a few
gears to get more comfortable. The 200m qualifying started on
Friday, and lucky me I was first on the list, would have loved
to see how the girls would take the line for the 200m sprint
as they been participating in a training camp here this week.
I was disappointed about my qualifying time as I was over
geared, considering the track being 333m it changes the 200m
starting point and making it just after the banking, didn't
give me enough straight to jump into to get on my gear. If I
had a second chance I would jump much harder in the back
straight. The girls didn't look too worried about me when I
set the first benchmark but I was.

Qualifying 11th did not put me in a good spot and knowing that
my match sprinting skills needed a lot of attention, I was not
confident. I managed to get down to eighth place overall in
the sprint. Don't know if I should be happy, my coach said
that the first seven girls are going to the Olympics and that
I should be proud. Thinking about it, at least I was a bit of
competition and not just another rider. But I hate losing and
I'm not a very good loser but I gave myself a pat on the back.

Lying in bed that night thinking about the keirin the next
day, hoping that it would go better. You could say I had a bit
anger that I needed to get rid of. I just need to make it
through to the finals! I had to get top three in my heat,
knowing that four girls in my heat had better qualifying times
– Natasha Hansen, Lisandra Guerra, Juliana Gaviria and Natalie
Srutkova, it was going to be a challenge. That or maybe I just
really wanted to race against Kristina Vogel in the final!

Race day, the heat started, the derny going off the track with
two and half laps to go, seeing Lisandra in my inside while
I'm going up on the banking I realised that everyone is
waiting for her to make the move and as I had the advantage
being on top of the banking, it made the girls nervous I
think, or they weren't really worried after seeing my 200m
qualifier. I decided to make the first move, jumping down and
making the first jump a lap to go. I managed to keep myself in
the top three ladies over the line, though it was close one.
Happy day for me! I made it to the finals to race against top
class ladies who I admire. I wasn't too nervous about the
final just because even with a sixth place I would be happy.

At the start of the final seeing Kristina Vogel on my side and
Martha Bayona it gave me a big rush of adrenaline that came
out of nowhere! In the back of my head I thought about being
on the podium next to her. The gun went, and the race started.

Trying to remember all the things my coach told me to keep in
consideration, (there is a saying that goes, "if at first you
don't succeed, try doing what your coach told you to do the
first time"). Haha I keep laughing every time I think about
it, so true though...

The derny pulled off and the race started, everyone waited for
Vogel to make the first move as she was at the back. Patience
slowly ran out for the girls in front and Lisandra and Martha
made the first jump, as the speed increased. Kristina reacted
quickly to the jump and me, I was just sitting at the back in
front of Vogel trying to figure out what I should do next
that would benefit me not to get stuck on the bottom. Seeing
Vogel coming closer I went up so she could pass on my inside.
I could just see pure power coming from her legs. I gave it
everything and felt my lungs exploding and my muscles
twitching to chase behind her, catching her wheel and going
over the girls and coming in along side Vogel on the finish
line. What just happened? Did I or did I not just came second?
Third maybe? Or was I imagining things? Was my head just
playing with me? Nobody could tell me what happened, looking
at the score board and trying to get my breath back, nothing
made sense, everything was just a big blur.

Sitting on the rollers to cool down my emotions were all over
the place. My coach came running to me after trying to find
out what the results are. You came second he said. Oh wow,
really? That feeling was indescribable! So happy and that I
could make my coach proud, put a smile to my face and also the
people back home in South Africa.

I saw Kristina Vogel training in South Africa at the beginning
of the year I never thought when I next saw her I would be
standing next to her on the podium in second place.